London Irish boss Declan Kidney downplayed his team’s chances of qualifying for the play-offs after their 37-22 triumph over Northampton Saints in the Premiership on Saturday.

So’otala Fa’aso’o and Tom Pearson went over for the Exiles in the first half, whilst Saints responded with a Juarno Augustus five-pointer and a Fin Smith penalty.

London Irish continued their charge in the second period as Ben Loader and Chunya Munga scored, cancelling out Tommy Freeman and Lewis Ludlam’s tries.

“No pressure”

Kidney claims nothing is expected from his side regarding play-off contention and credited his players for their efforts.

“There’s no pressure, and there’s nothing expected of us, so we’ve said we’d enjoy the journey,” Kidney said.

“I’m sure if you ran down to some of the betting offices you wouldn’t get many that said we had a good chance of making it to the top four with three games to go, but what about it?

“We’re happy enough, it was a good day and it was a good game of rugby of two good sides going at it.

“We probably had more opportunities and took them than we let them have, and that was a big difference in the game.

“They came out very well at points, but our defence stood strong and we were on point today, and it’s a credit to the coaches and the players.

“We have the challenge of it being four weeks to go until our next match, but now is the time to enjoy the moment.

“We have to find a way to be ready in four weeks time to take on the league leaders (Saracens) on their home patch.”

Play-off blow

Meanwhile, Saints boss Phil Dowson admits the loss is a play-off setback as his side falls out of the top four. However, the coach is looking to regroup for their fixture against Saracens on April 15.

“We knew it was a huge opportunity and we were playing a good side, but not enough of our game was at the requisite level,” Dowson said.

“We didn’t perform well enough for long enough periods which is a bit of a headscratcher because at times at home we’ve been really good, and away from home we haven’t.

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“I don’t think we were lacking energy, we’ve worked on our defensive alignment, got into good spaces and then didn’t complete enough tackles or slow them down.

“Their attack is excellent, if they get fast ball they cut you up and we had to scramble at several occasions.

“There is still a mathematical opportunity to get into the play-offs, so we’re still gonna go for it.

“We’ve got a great group of lads, there’s never a lack of energy or effort, it’s a lack of execution.

“We’ve got a week off next week to regather and recover for Saracens and Newcastle and make sure we give ourselves the best opportunity.”

Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim have submitted a €12m offer to Ligue 1 newboys Amiens for their highly-coveted midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, according to a top reporter at our colleagues at Yahoo Sport.

Amiens have so far rejected all offers for the player, including a recent bid from Lyon, but this is a sizeable proposition that is now in front of them.

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Jamie Ritchie believes victory over Italy, which would secure a third-place finish, would constitute a positive Six Nations campaign for Scotland.

Scotland kicked off the Championship in impressive style with wins over England and Wales before their title charge was derailed by France and Ireland.

Despite the chance of Six Nations glory now having gone, skipper Ritchie insists there is still plenty at stake as they prepare to tackle Italy at Murrayfield.

Hoping for a strong finish

“I outlined our goal of five good performances, and I think we’re at three and a half just now,” said the flanker. “To get it up to four and a half would be good, so we’re looking for a strong performance. To secure that third place outright would be a positive.

“We shouldn’t change our application based on the opposition. For us, it’s about maintaining the same standards and trying to put out our best performance, which I don’t think we’ve done yet.

“I don’t think we’ve put out that complete 80-minute performance, so tomorrow’s the day, hopefully.”

Three wins out of five would be a solid return for Scotland, and Ritchie feels that would create strong foundations ahead of the Rugby World Cup this year.

“Arguably against France, for the majority of the game, we were the team in the ascendancy,” he stressed, gaining confidence from his side’s performance. “We put ourselves under pressure with a slow start, but for huge parts of that game, I certainly believed we could go on and win it.

“There will be a huge amount of positives to take out of the tournament.”

No wins thus far for Italy

Their opponents on Saturday have had a difficult campaign in terms of results, but their showings have impressed Ritchie, who is wary of the Azzurri.

“They’ll be frustrated that they’ve played a lot of really good rugby and run a couple of good teams close but not converted that into results,” he said.

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“They come here with nothing to lose. They’re always a passionate team, but there might be a little bit more passion because they enjoy playing against us; they target this game.

“We know there will be a challenge coming against potentially the best Italy team we’ve ever played, so we need to be ready.”

Serie A side Torino are in talks with Toulouse over the possible signing of 21-year-old central midfielder Zinédine Machach on a permanent basis, according to L’Équipe.

Yann Bodiger, also a central midfielder, could be loaned to La Liga or Ligue 1.

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Wales picked up their first victory of the 2023 Six Nations campaign after they beat Italy 29-17 in Rome, exacting revenge for last year’s defeat.

Tries from Rio Dyer, Liam Williams and Taulupe Faletau were added to by a penalty try as Warren Gatland’s men secured a priceless bonus point win.

Sebastian Negri and Ignacio Brex crossed in defeat for Italy, who will lament a series of costly errors as it was a wasteful performance from the hosts.

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Wales head to Paris next for a Six Nations appointment with France and, while that assignment is a daunting one, they can at least travel with a degree of confidence after claiming a first win since Gatland returned for his second stint as head coach.

Gatland made six changes to the side beaten by England last time out, with scrum-half Rhys Webb handed a first Test start since October 2020, while there were also call-ups for Liam Williams, Dyer, Wyn Jones, Dafydd Jenkins and Jac Morgan.

Italy were without injured playmaker Ange Capuozzo, so Harlequins fly-half Tommaso Allan featured at full-back in a solitary switch following the Azzurri’s battling display against Ireland two weeks ago.

Wales started brightly in glorious conditions, creating quick possession and looking to attack in wide channels before fly-half Owen Williams kicked them ahead through a sixth-minute penalty.

Italy looked lethargic and nervous in comparison and Wales extended their lead with a ninth-minute try.

Webb kicked over the top of Italy’s defence and Dyer made the most of a kind bounce to gather before sprinting over. Williams’ conversion opened up a 10-0 lead and the visitors were off to a flying start.

Italy needed a response and it arrived through an Allan penalty after 16 minutes, yet Wales were immediately back on the front foot.

Their attacking game had a real urgency about it, but a second try inside the opening quarter owed everything to Liam Williams’ individual brilliance.

Receiving the ball a metre from the touchline, Williams beat five Italy defenders as he cut back inside on a stunning run at pace and Wales retained control of the contest, 15-3 in front.

Italy tested Wales via a long-range counter-attack, but they were denied a try by Owen Williams’ superb tackle on Brex.

Williams then kicked Wales deep into the Italian 22 and a powerful lineout drive resulted in Italy illegally collapsing a maul.

Referee Damon Murphy awarded Wales a penalty try and yellow-carded Italy number eight Lorenzo Cannone, with the visitors taking a 22-3 lead into half-time.

Italy served notice of their quality by scoring a try just three minutes after the restart when Allan’s clever kick into space was collected by Negri, who finished strongly.

Allan’s conversion cut the deficit to 12 points, but Italy then saw a second player yellow-carded after wing Pierre Bruno led with his arm into Wales prop Jones’ throat.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Rhys Webb has been excellent today. #GuinnessSixNations #ITAvWAL pic.twitter.com/zi3pGEdRPP

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 11, 2023

And Wales punished their hosts when Webb broke clear and delivered a scoring pass to Faletau, with Williams’ conversion opening up a 29-10 lead and securing a bonus point.

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Liam Williams was forced off injured 19 minutes from time, being replaced by George North, with North’s fellow replacement Louis Rees-Zammit moving to full-back.

Italy, despite their deficit, had not given up the ghost and they claimed a second try after 67 minutes.

Bruno ran strongly at the heart of Wales’ defence and support runner Brex finished off the move, with Allan’s conversion making it 29-17, but that was as close as Italy could get.

SFR Sport report tonight that Marseille are looking at a number of potential striker options as we head into the final hours of the transfer window.

One of those is Newcastle United’s striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. Contact is ongoing with the relevant parties, but no offer yet.

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Blues head coach Leon MacDonald was frustrated with his side’s performance in their 25-20 loss to the Brumbies in the Super Round but believes their issues are fixable.

The fixture against the Brumbies had extra motivation for the Australians, who fell short against the Blues in last season’s semi-final.

Two early yellows

However, it was a poor start from MacDonald’s side, who went down to 13 players within the first 10 minutes as Caleb Clarke and James Lay were sin-binned.

The coach thought his team fought well with two men down and played with more “bounce” in the second period but failed to capitalise.

“Discipline was always going to be a factor, and to give away penalties and end up with two in the bin wasn’t the start we wanted,” MacDonald told Stuff.

“We fought back pretty well, but playing with 13 men in the heat is taxing. In the second half we felt we had a bit more bounce around the park and were trying to keep playing, but critical turnovers at the breakdown or knock-ons at the wrong times kept stopping us from getting what we wanted.

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“It was a pretty frustrating performance overall really. I don’t think there were any areas we felt we were exceptional, which was a bit frustrating.”

Maul power

The Blues boss praised the Brumbies maul that cost his team twice and will look for his side to improve on that going forward.

“The Brumbies’ maul is a genuine weapon. They’ve used it against us and everybody else effectively. It was a big focus to nullify that, and we struggled with it. We’d be a bit disappointed in that area,” he said.

“But it is only round two. Although it hurts when you lose any game, we’re realistic that there’s a lot of games ahead and our job now is to bounce back quickly and focus on the areas of the game we need improve on to make sure we can apply more pressure when we’ve got ball in hand.”

MacDonald believes his side needs to find a way to be “more cohesive” after a disappointing start to the season.

“We’re right in the middle of a tough start and our focus now is to get a bit more cohesive, string some more phases together and build pressure with the ball,” he said.

“We weren’t able to do that. Very rarely did we get past 3-4 phases today. Defensively, when we didn’t give away penalties, we looked solid, and applied good pressure. But the pressure valve was released by not rolling away or getting offside. We were our own worst enemies.

“They’re things we can fix, but we’re disappointed we have to go and fix them.”

Fine margins

In Super Rugby Pacific, the margins are so fine, and MacDonald admits his team were not far off, but that is enough to be on the losing side at this level.

“The players have identified it already. They were frustrated with a lot of the [lack of] accuracy of certain plays. We were just a click off in certain areas and the way the Brumbies play, they’re a pressure team, they pressure you in the maul, they pressure you in the air, they pressure you at the breakdown hard and try to force errors, and did that well,” he added.

“We knew it was coming and at times we countered it and at times we didn’t. We just weren’t quite good enough.”

2017 has been an eventful year for Marco Verratti; it was one that began full of optimism in January but quickly turned sour infamously in the Camp Nou in March. The uncertainty surrounding his future this summer then made the situation complicated for the Italian thus affecting his form for PSG.

Like the majority of those that played a part in the debacle at Barcelona, Verratti arguably displayed his worst performance in a PSG shirt that night and in truth, still hasn’t recaptured his pre-Barcelona form.

Granted, the Italian international is still capable of his moments of magic and madness, whether that be a pin-point 20-yard assist or the most ludicrous but comical foul. But aren’t these the things we relish about Verratti and have become accustomed to?

After all, Verratti is the prince of Paris, a vital cog in the ambitious Parisian machine and a hugely influential figure in the team. In his homeland he is viewed as the future of the Azzurri midfield and hopes are pinned on him delivering his brilliance particularly with a World Cup in Russia looming.

Rewind back 12 months, PSG were in somewhat of a transitional phase post-Ibrahimovic. Goals and creativity were not as free flowing as the previous season and Verratti, along with Cavani were arguably the only stand-out performers in an underperforming side.

Verratti helped to carry a stuttering PSG and under-fire manager Unai Emery through a torrid spell of domestic form by PSG’s standards towards the end of 2016 but as the season transpired and when PSG needed his influence more than ever, particularly in Barcelona, he failed to deliver. As a senior player in the squad, although not entirely his responsibility, he failed to galvanise his team-mates when needed.

That calamitous night in Barcelona was the catalyst for what was to come and for what has still been occurring with Verratti. The interest from Barcelona this summer not only unsettled the Italian but seemingly uncovered a somewhat arrogant side of him that hadn’t been seen to date.

An arrogance that he can perform at whatever level he wants, despite the yearly contract renewals and to be able to dictate to a point, what calibre of player PSG should be signing for him to stay in Paris long-term and rebuff the overtures of the Catalan giants.

This understandably upset some of the PSG fan base who feel that Verratti has been handsomely rewarded financially during his time in the capital and has been given a platform to develop into the player he is today.

Although the move to Spain failed to materialise, Verratti’s early season form has been reflective of some of that arrogance.

What is slightly concerning is Verratti’s slow and drawn out transition back to finding his best form. It has so far been a below par start to the season after the off-field tribulations this summer and that began with a feeble display in the Trophée des Champions against AS Monaco in late July.

This transcended into his league form with some further uncharacteristic and nonchalant displays stemming from poor ball retention to overplaying and being carelessly dispossessed in dangerous areas. The Italian was also sent off against Toulouse in week 3 leading to a 3 game suspension.

Verratti hasn’t escaped criticism from the Italian press either after his below par performances with the Azzurri in September. Verratti was jeered when replaced by Riccardo Montolivo during Italy’s recent narrow 1-0 victory over Israel which followed the thrashing by Spain in Madrid a few days earlier.

In the days following, the PSG man was targeted by Italian Sports newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport who launched a scathing attack on Verratti’s international performances.

In France, World Cup winner, Christophe Dugarry tore into Verratti last week in an interview with RMC saying “I thought this lad could become a future (Andrés) Iniesta but now he’s very, very far away from that”.

Dugarry also went on to express concerns over Verratti’s mentality stating “I have doubts about this lad, even though I’d really like to be wrong. I’m worried he’s approaching his job in the wrong way. You don’t go to the next level just because you get a wage increase every six months.”

Verratti’s sub-par performances have been masked by the spotlight being placed firmly on Neymar and Kylian Mbappé and for that reason he has been fortunate as the criticism could and should have been much worse.

However, there are slow signs that the Italian is gradually finding some form and with some crucial games coming up in the Champions’ League and Ligue 1 this will be welcome news for a PSG midfield lead by 35-year-old Thiago Motta and lacking in squad depth.

There is no more room for Verratti to coast through games as he has done so far this season. Verratti has set a high bar for himself since moving to Paris in 2012 and with regular lucrative contract renewals during that time, he is undeserving of escape from the criticism aimed at him by the media.

But the sooner Verratti finds his best form, the better for this exciting PSG side who are fighting on four fronts for honours this season and for Italy who still haven’t secured qualification for the World Cup.

The ball is firmly in Verratti’s court, but now is the time to start delivering. Whilst Verratti’s place at PSG is unlikely to be under serious threat, the same cannot be said in the national team.

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L.D.

Check out the teams ahead of the third round of Super Rugby Pacific, where the Waratahs welcome back Ned Hanigan and Harry Johnson-Holmes for their Australian derby against the Rebels in Melbourne.

Friday

Chiefs v Highlanders
FMG Stadium, Hamilton

Chiefs: 15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Rameka Poihipi, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber (cc), 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Sam Cane (cc), 6 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 John Ryan, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Pita Gus Sowakula, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Daniel Rona

Highlanders: 15 Freddie Burns, 14 Martin Bogado, 13 Josh Timu, 12 Thomas Umaga-Jensen, 11 Mosese Dawai, 10 Mitch Hunt, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Hugh Renton, 7 James Lentjes (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Josh Dickson, 4 Pari Pari Parkinson, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Rhys Marshall, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Leni Apisai, 17 Ayden Johnstone, 18 Saula Mau, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Sean Withy, 21 Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, Fetuli Paea, 23 Connor Garden-Bachop

Rebels v Waratahs
AAMI Park, Melbourne

Rebels: 15 Nick Jooste, 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Stacey Ili, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Brad Wilkin (c), 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 Trevor Hosea, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Cabous Eloff, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 Matt Gibbon
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Cameron Orr,, 18 Pone Fa’amausili, 19 Tuaina Taii Tualima, 20 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Lukas Ripley, 23 David Feliuai

Waratahs: 15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon (c), 8 Langi Gleeson, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Lachlan Swinton, 5 Hugh Sinclair, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Dave Porecki, 1 Tom Lambert
Replacements: 16 Mahe Vailanu, 17 Te Tera Faulkner, 18 Daniel Botha, 19 Taleni Seu, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Charlie Gamble, 22 Teddy Wilson, 23 Ben Dowling

Saturday

Fijian Drua v Crusaders
Churchill Park, Lautoka

Fijian Drua: 15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Selestino Ravutaumada, 13 Iosefo Masi, 12 Apisalome Vota, 11 Eroni Sau, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Joseva Tamani, 5 Leone Rotuisolia, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Jone Koroiduadua, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (c), 1 Meli Tuni
Replacements: 16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Samuela Tawake, 19 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 20 Meli Derenalagi, 21 Peni Matawalu, 22 Kemu Valetini, 23 Kalaveti Ravouvou

Crusaders: 15 Chay Fihaki, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 David Havili, 11 Macca Springer, 10 Fergus Blake, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Sione Havili Talitui, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tamaiti Williams, 2 Quentin MacDonald, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Ioane Moannu, 17 Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Zach Gallagher, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Noah Hotham, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Dallas McLeod

Hurricanes v Blues
Sky Stadium, Wellington

Hurricanes: 15 Josh Moorby, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Salesi Rayasi, 10 Brett Cameron, 9 Cameron Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Dane Coles (c), 1 Xavier Numia
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Caleb Delany, 20 TK Howden, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Aidan Morgan, 23 Riley Higgins

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Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii (c), 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Cameron Suafoa, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 James Lay, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Joshua Fusitu’a
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 James Tucker, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Taufa Funaki, 22 Bryce Heem, 23 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Brumbies v Reds
GIO Stadium, Canberra

Brumbies: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andy Muirhead, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Ollie Sapsford, 11 Corey Toole, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Rory Scott, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Rhys van Nek, 2 Lachlan Lonergan, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Connal McInerney, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Tom Ross, 19 Darcy Swain, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Jack Debreczeni, 23 Ben O’Donnell

Reds: 15 Jordan Petaia, 14 Suliasi Vunivalu, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Tate McDermott (cc), 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Liam Wright (cc), 5 Seru Uru, 4 Ryan Smith, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Dane Zander
Replacements: 16 Richie Asiata, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Connor Vest, 20 Jake Upfield, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Jock Campbell

Western Force v Moana Pasifika
HBF Park, Perth

Force: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Manasa Mataele, 13 Bayley Kuenzle, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Toni Pulu, 10 Bryce Hegarty, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 7 Ollie Callan, 6 Tim Anstee, 5 Jeremy Thrush, 4 Felix Kalapu, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tom Horton, 17 Angus Wagner, 18 Siosifa Amone, 19 Ryan McCauley, 20 Jackson Pugh, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Nikilao Foliaki, 23 George Poolman

Moana Pasifika: 15 William Havili, 14 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 13 Fine Inisi, 12 Danny Toala, 11 Anzelo Tuitavuki, 10 Lincoln McClutchie, 9 Ereatara Enari, 8 Lotu Inisi, 7 Solomone Funaki (c), 6 Miracle Faiilagi, 5 Mike McKee, 4 Alex McRobbie, 3 Suetena Asomua, 2 Samiuela Moli, 1 Abraham Pole
Replacements: 16 Luteru Tolai, 17 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 18 Isi Tu’ungafasi, 19 Potu Leavasa, 20 Jonah Mau’u, 21 Manu Paea, 22 Henry Taefu, 23 Levi Aumua

Nathan Staples, Adam White and Samuel Rooke discuss France qualifying for the World Cup in Russia next year and the upcoming round of Ligue 1 fixtures.

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